Chairman Kevin Martin told the cable industry this week that he wants any …

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Under pressure from the FCC, cable operators have been preparing a new "family tier" of programming that will include channels free of objectionable content that will cost less than standard cable packages. For parents who are concerned about the content of cable television and object to paying for channels they do not watch and do not want, this sounds like a perfect solution. So why does the Parents Television Council call the plan a "very bad joke?"

While groups like the PTC support such family offerings, they object to the particular way that cable companies are implementing the idea. We've already looked at Time Warner's proposed lineup of channels and noted that the selection was not overwhelming: in addition to basic cable, the family package includes Boomerang, C-SPAN 2, C-SPAN 3, CNN Headline News, The Science Channel, Discovery Kids, Disney Channel, DIY Network, FIT-TV, Food Network, HGTV, La Familia, Nick Games & Sports, The Weather Channel, and Toon Disney. When you subtract out the channels your kids will never want to watch (I'm looking at you, C-SPAN 3), there's limited value here. When you realize that the list does not include any sports channels, the value drops almost to zero.

Groups like the PTC argue that cable has deliberately chosen to cripple its family offering by leaving popular and family-friendly channels out of the lineup in order to sell people on a more expensive package—and the FCC agrees. Chairman Kevin Martin yesterday told the cable industry that their family offerings did not look practical because they do not include sports programming. No specific orders were given and no threats were made, but Martin's message to the cable companies was clear: the "family tier" has to be something that families actually want.

It's a cheering sight to see the FCC stand up for consumers on this issue. The obvious worry was that cable companies would simply offer a set of channels that no one wanted, thereby appearing "family friendly" while still signing most of their customers to more expensive plans. Martin looks intent on making the industry put together a package that will truly address the concerns of consumers.

This push for a "family tier" may only be a waystation on the way to total à la carte Nirvana. Under Martin's leadership, the FCC has done an abrupt about face on the issue and now claims that unbundled programming would be in the consumer's best interests. The cable industry obviously disagrees. Mark Cuban, who talked to us a few months back, told the gathered industry executives this week that "If à la carte happens, everybody loses." With the FCC now supporting the idea and willing to flex its muscles a bit, the unthinkable may finally happen. Whether it will truly reduce your cable bill remains to be seen.